About Our Farm

From Crops to Cattle

In 2001 we took ownership of what had been a successful cropping operation and continued to farm the land that way for several years, raising a few head of beef for our own freezer. With five growing boys we went through a lot of groceries, and, we valued knowing where our food came from. As it turned out our friends and family did, too!

When people discovered that we raised beef on our family farm, the first question many of them asked was “Is it grass-fed…?” As we researched what that meant we became more and more convinced of the many benefits of pastured meats— to the animals, the consumer and the environment.  We began thinking about new ways to steward the land we owned and purposed to learn more about sustainability and regenerative land practices.  We are grateful for the mentoring of friends and experts at Michigan State University as we’ve made the journey from crops to cattle.

In 2011 we made a full transition to a 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef operation and since then it has been our mission and vision at JNelson Farms to provide a nutritious, responsibly raised, superior product to our customers.  Our carefully selected black angus and red angus cattle are especially well-suited for life in lush pastures, enjoying supplemental hay in carefully managed paddocks on our 280+ acre farm headquartered in Hope, Michigan.  

We are certified with the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) as a livestock operation.